How do you choose your custom photographer?

Here are a few questions you might want to answer first to make the process easier.

• Who is going to be in the portrait? your immediate family, extended family, just the children? Are there groupings you want taken such as mother and son, just the kids, as well as the entire family?
• Where do you want it taken? Inside the studio, at your home, an outdoor location of your choice?
• Do you want it more posed and formal or journalistic showing how you interact with your family?
• What final products do you want? A large wall portrait, a few gift prints to give, a storyboard depicting a few moments, or a custom album telling about the family and interactions?

Start you search on the internet. First, you need to see who is available to you in your area or as far as you are willing to travel. Then take a look at their web site and see what style they photograph. If you don't know what style you are looking for then look at everyone's portfolio and see what you like. If you are looking for newborn portraits in the studio, do not choose a photographer that only displays senior photography on their web site. 

We suggest that you talk to a few photographers and see if you like the way they interact with you and your family. Ideally, we would love to meet all of our clients in person before the session to build a rapport and get comfortable. This also allows for us to show off some of the products we offer that you may not even know are available.

Ultimately, you will pick your photographer based on their style, relationship, price, and product offering. The hard part if finding someone who meets all of these criteria. So, you will have to prioritize what you want.

Next week: Why does custom photography cost so much?